History: Queen Elizabeth I

Fascinating Facts About Queen Elizabeth I for Children

Queen Elizabeth I reigned from the middle of the 16th century to the beginning of the 17th century; today, we are going to take a look at some interesting facts about one of England's most notable Queens.

Heir to the throne in the month of November, 1558 - Queen Elizabeth I ruled over England for an astonishing forty five years, until her death in 1603. So loved that she was, Queen Elizabeth I had many names of which people liked to call her - Gloriana and Good Queen Bess being some examples. She would be the last royal member of the Tudor family to take reign over England. King Henry VIII, who is himself a major figure in our royal history, was the father of Elizabeth I. Her mother was Anne Boleyn, one of the unfortunate wives of Henry VIII who was beheaded just three years after bringing Elizabeth I to the world.

Elizabeth I was an unlikely heir to the throne, with both her brother Edward and half-sister Mary being first and second in line. After the death of her father, little brother Edward (then just ten years of age) became King Edward VI. Both Edward and Elizabeth were brought up to be protestants, where as their half-sister followed a different faith - Roman Catholicism. In 1553, Edward's reign passed as he died still in his teens. Mary Tudor would take the throne and change the 'acceptable' faith of England. So strict was her reign and dedication to her religion, that she even took it into her own hands to put her half-sister Elizabeth into the Tower of London. She spent two months imprisoned, just because Mary had the feeling she was plotting to take over the throne.

The unexpected would happen just five years later when Mary too met her death. Queen Elizabeth I was to be after all and she was no ordinary woman - she was known to be of high intelligence and had a lot of backbone for a female heir to the throne.

Her rule was the Golden Age and the glorious days of all royal history. One of the major successes from her rule was the introduction of the Church of England - a negotiation between both protestant and Roman catholic faiths. Many historians believe that it was the role of the Church of England that prevented many religious fuelled wars from starting.

The Virgin Queen was yet another popular name given to Elizabeth, as she refused to marry prosperous suitors. England were sure that she would marry and in doing so would bring strength back to England, which at the very beginning of her rule was under threat from both Spain and France. She would shock the land yet again when she brought peace to the nation and allowed England to steadily regain the wealth that it had lost. She didn't insist on wars with other countries either - only sending out troops to defend from attacks.

England became not only wealthy in terms of money, but became well-known for its rich culture. England was powerful and it was Queen Elizabeth I that made it blossom. She encouraged exploration of other lands and trading with other countries - bringing yet more wealth and culture. Intellectuals including famous poet and playwright William Shakespeare, were all inspired by her reign. She truly is a woman and Queen who deserves a place in our history.